1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to retractable awnings and, more particularly, to an improved retractable awning wherein a fan is provided therein to cool the area under the awning.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Retractable awnings may take numerous forms and have been designed for permanent mounting on fixed vertical surfaces such as over doors and windows of building structures and have also been designed for mounting on movable objects such as recreational vehicles, mobile homes or the like. In the latter case, the awnings typically include a canopy that is secured along an inner edge to a supporting external wall of the vehicle and along an opposite parallel edge to a roll bar such that as the roll bar is moved away from the supporting surface, the canopy of the awning is extended. A reverse relationship is sometimes utilized wherein the roll bar is permanently mounted on the supporting surface and a lead bar attached to an opposite edge of the canopy is adapted to be extended away from the supporting surface to move the awning into an extended position. In either instance, however, the awning is wrapped around the roll bar when it is in its retracted condition. Support arms and rafter arms are typically provided to retain the awning in its extended condition.
To varying degrees, depending upon the fabric or material from which the awning canopy is made, it frequently is hot underneath the canopies as air circulation is somewhat stymied by the canopy itself. Circulating air is one way of lowering the effective temperature under the awning and humidifying the air would be an added benefit for cooling purposes. To applicant's knowledge, however, there are no known awnings that include systems for circulating and humidifying the air under the awning and it is to overcome this shortcoming in prior art retractable awnings that the present invention has been developed.